Dec. 4, 2020 – Margaret Wrenn Hickey and Odalo J. Ohiku have accepted nominations to run for 2021 State Bar of Wisconsin president-elect.

Both candidates are lawyers active in Milwaukee. Ohiku (Marquette 2002) is deputy city attorney with the Milwaukee Office of the City Attorney; and Hickey (U.W. 1986) is a shareholder with Becker, Hickey & Poster, S.C.

The president-elect serves a one-year term before becoming president on July 1, 2022.

The nominees for treasurer are Anu Chudasama (U.W. 2010), a litigator with Bassford Remele of Minneapolis, and Elizabeth Reeths (U.W. 2011), a litigator with Klinner Kramer Shull LLP of Wausau.

The candidates for Judicial Council representative are Samuel C. Hall Jr. (Marquette 2005), managing partner at Crivello Carlson, S.C., Milwaukee, and Margo S. Kirchner (Michigan 1991), with Wisconsin Justice Institute Inc., Milwaukee.

"You have excellent choices for candidates for each office, with wide-ranging backgrounds and experiences that will help to move the State Bar forward in these challenging times,” said State Bar President-elect Cheryl Daniels, chair of the Nominating Committee. “Please take the time, as the election season unfolds, to learn about each candidate as you prepare to vote in April."

The Nominating Committee members, appointed by State Bar President Kathy Brost, are:

• State Bar President-elect Cheryl Daniels, Madison;

• Eric Andrews, Milwaukee;

• Fran Deisinger, Milwaukee;

• Margaret (Peggy) Herlitzka, La Crosse; and

• Amy Wochos, Milwaukee.

"The Nominating Committee selected dedicated lawyers as candidates who also reflect the diversity of the State Bar membership,” Daniels said. “Each is a leader in his or her own right, and is prepared to serve the organization and the state's justice system to the best of their ability on the membership's behalf."

State Bar members can also run for an officer position by filing a petition signed by 100 active State Bar members. The deadline to submit a petition is Feb. 1, 2021. For more information and to receive a petition, contact Jan Marks by email, or at (608) 250-6106 or (800) 444-9404, ext. 6106.

Candidates Needed for Board of Governors’ Positions: Submit Petitions by March 1

The Board of Governors is the State Bar's policymaking body, and governors serve two-year terms.

Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 will elect governors in 2021. District 2 (Milwaukee) elects seven, District 9 (Dane) elects three, and all other districts elect one.

To be considered for a seat on the Board of Governors, members must submit a petition, signed by 10 active members in their district, to the State Bar by March 1, 2021.

To receive a petition or for more information, visit the Board of Governors’ page on WisBar.org, or contact Jan Marks via email, or call her at (608) 250-6106 or (800) 444-9404, ext. 6106.

Vote in April: Look for Your Electronic Ballot

All State Bar elections (including for State Bar divisions) will be held via an electronic ballot in 2021. Ballots are emailed by the second week in April, and the election closes at noon Central time on April 23, 2021.

To ensure you receive your State Bar election ballot, add noreply@directvote.net as an approved sender in your inbox sometime before April 1. This prevents the ballot from being identified as spam.

Please note: If you have placed any holds on emails from the State Bar, you may not receive an electronic ballot. Contact Customer Service at (800) 444-9404 to verify that your account is set up to receive your email ballot.

State Bar members with no email address on file will receive paper ballots. Paper ballots will be mailed April 7, 2021.